Brownells 6th Annual Gunsmith Career Fair April 27 & 28, Des Moines, Iowa
Frank
Dear Folks,
If you’re a gunsmith looking for employment, a gunshop owner needing a gunsmith, or a recent graduate from gunsmithing school, April 27 & 28, is a very important date for you. It’s the date for the Brownells 6th Annual Gunsmith Career Fair. Some of the most knowledgeable, respected professionals in our Industry are going to be there to interview gunsmiths, and real “icons” of the gunsmithing world – folks like Ron Power, Les Baer, Jon Tank of Cylinder & Slide, Sharon and Paul Dressel – will be giving seminars to share their skill-building “secrets” with you. There’ll be a chance to ask an ATF representative questions one-on-one, and the big Friday night banquet with a keynote address by John Krieger of Krieger Barrels, Inc.
With around 60 employers there, many of them looking for gunsmiths and people with gunsmithing skills, this will be our biggest gunsmithing-focused Career Fair yet – one you really won’t want to miss. Be sure to look over the latest list of people and companies who’ll be coming – down at the bottom of this message – to make up your personal list of those you want to visit with. And, if you’re planning to do a job interview, bring along a current resume and be ready to answer plenty of questions about yourself.
Of course, if you are coming for an interview, it’s also important to “present” well, so clean up, look your best, and be on your best behavior. The company reps want to learn about your gunsmithing skills, but they’re still going to look at the “packaging” to be sure you’re going to fit into their perception of who they want representing their shop to their customers. If it is a job in a major shop or operation, they want to be sure you aren’t going to scare the other folks working with you!
I’ll cover some of the highlights below – BUT, if you really want to get to the heart of things in just a couple clicks, click on this link: www.gunsmithcareerfair.com. If you use Google like I do, you’ll get a page with the words “Gunsmith Career Fair” at the top. Click on that and Shazam! – you’re on the site. There’s a whole row of buttons across the top of the page. Click on any one you like. I started with “Information” and found maps, lodging, restaurants by category, cab companies, and one of my favorites – “Coupons”. Gracious – there are discounts on just about anything you can think of, from hotels, motels, pizzas, bars, clubs, shopping malls, on and on. Didn’t know our gang had found so much to put out there!!
Anyway, if you’re determined to keep reading instead of going to the site – ’cause I can’t possibly cover everything on it here – here’s those highlights . . .
Some highlights for Gunsmith Career Fair 2012:
1. Dates: April 27 & 28, 2012
2. Place: Marriott Hotel in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.
3. Brownells headquarters and warehouse operation, located in Montezuma, Iowa, about 60 miles east of Des Moines via Interstate 80, will be open for tours on Thursday, April 26, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. (There’s a good map on the website.)
4. Some exciting new exhibitors this year: Hornady, Cabelas, FNH USA, Taurus Arms, DS Arms, E. Arthur Brown Company, Sportsman’s Bench Products, Krieger Barrels, Caesar Guerini, Super Brush, and Redding Reloading, just to name a few of those who’ve said they’re coming.
5. Thanks to the following companies for helping to sponsor this event: Cylinder & Slide, Aero Metals, FNH USA, Hornady, Power Custom/Grand Masters, and Gradient Lens!
6. John Krieger, President of Krieger Barrels, will give the keynote speech at the dinner reception on Friday evening.
7. Folks are encouraged to register ASAP if they haven’t already.
8. Seminars, tailored to ensure the overall success of today’s gunsmith, are FREE to attendees and exhibitors. They’re a mix of both business and gunsmithing topics. Here is an outline of the seminars offered (listed by subject of presentation/speaker):
– Correcting Built-In Revolver Kinks – Ron Power – Building a Business Strategy – Tom Shay – Shotgun Gunsmithing – Mike Tutolowski, Instructor, Colorado School of Trades – Metallurgy – Glen Fewless, VP American Custom Gunmakers Guild – Proper Stock Layout – Sharon Dressel – Big Box Store Gunsmithing – Roy Christensen, Gander Mountain – Bore Scopes, More Than Just a Tool – Ken Harrington, Hawkeye Bore Scopes – Customer Service – Bart Miller, Bass Pro Shops – Ballistics – Paul Dressel – Am I Gunsmithing or Manufacturing? – ATF/FTB – Making Variances & When They Are Required – ATF/FTB – Professional Gunsmithing – Mike Watkins, Brownells Gun Tech – Careers in the Industry – Robin Sharpless
I’ve gotta tell you, I’m absolutely delighted we’re able to put this event on, and to be able to bring such very talented people to talk about their work and passion for our industry with the new and upcoming talent out there. It’s just mighty cool to be able to visit with these top icons in our industry, and we’re enormously pleased to offer that opportunity to the working gunsmiths and gunsmithing students who attend.
I got so doggone excited talking about the Career Fair, I almost forgot: Brownells will be at the NRA Annual Meeting in a big way this April 13-15, in St Louis. Wouldn’t want to miss this for anything! Come see us at Booth #2305 to say “hi” and get a gander at some of the neat new products we’ve added to our lineup recently, and last but not least, be sure to put your name in the hat for one of the prize drawings we’ll be doing over those three days. There’ll be daily drawings, plus a big Grand Prize on Sunday. A visit to www.nraam.org will set you up with everything you need to know about the Annual Meeting.
Still time to register to attend BOTH events – there’s a weekend in between them to recover! For the Career Fair, just go to www.gunsmithcareerfair.com or call 641-623-5401 and ask for Jamie McCarthy or Sarah Perry. Attendees and exhibitors are urged to book hotel rooms and flights early. ONE LAST TIME: GO TO WWW.GUNSMITHCAREERFAIR.COM . . .
